Fight Violence With Message Of Tolerance and Dialogue, Says Orissa Archbishop

Bhubaneswar – Christians must preach and practice tolerance and maintain good relations with other religious communities, said Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Orissa, a state that has, in the recent past, witnessed instances of severe sectarian violence and religious intolerance.

Priests, and men and women religious, he said, must “preach the message of love, peace and mutual acceptance to all concerned and organize activities for that purpose.”

In the last few years, many Christians have been persecuted and even murdered in Orissa, and hundreds of Tribal converts to Christianity were forcibly subjected to reconversion and many churches were ransacked and destroyed. These campaigns of intimidation and violence have been carried out by Hindu fundamentalist outfits like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Bajrang Dal and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

However, Archbishop Cheenath is undaunted and hopeful that inter–religious dialogue will dispel much of the misapprehension and misunderstanding between the Christians and the non–Christians.

In fact, the Archbishop has urged clergymen in his diocese to speak with and meet people of other religions and to spend time with them.

“Priests,” he said, “must be concerned about the salvation of non–Christians as well because Jesus came to save everyone”.

“Prayers for non–Christians should be included in the liturgy,” he stressed, adding, “priests should never speak against other religions in their sermons”. Instead, “an atmosphere of dialogue should be created in every parish—only the spirit of friendship can spread the Gospel in India’s multicultural and multi–religious society”.